Introduced the medical students to the concept of countertransference today. They said it was helpful! It’s so important to recognize that it happens so you don’t act on it in a professional capacity.

Universal training and supervision in countertransference among doctors, nurses, and EMTs would be so helpful in reducing the harm we do to patients I think. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countertransference

Here’s a secret: we are all dark murky messes of feelings. Our actions are what define us, far less our thoughts and feelings. We can think and feel opposite things at once. That’s okay.

An example is a homeless person with schizophrenia. If you go to an city park you will see visitors leave an unoccupied ring around this person because he makes people uncomfortable. This interaction is repeated on every level.

You have to recognize your discomfort before you can push it aside. It’s okay to be uncomfortable, it’s not okay to treat anyone with anything less than respect because you feel uncomfortable.

Sometimes we lose the forest for the trees

I’m anxious about any movements for “wrongthink” because humans are bound to wrongthink. It’s how we go forward and recognize our weakness and be humble that makes the difference in human interactions and especially medical interactions.

Humility is the most important lesson we learn from supervision (probably why I always hated it )

I told my students to always try to find something they admire about a person. That helps counter the nasty human effects of countertransference. The moment you dehumanize someone you are lost.

Medical care, especially intensive medical care, dehumanizes people. You are lungs or a cancer or heart valve calcifications. A number and a diagnosis code. Rehumanizing medicine involves admiring people for who they are and what they bear.

Let me be even more explicit for #MedTwitter it’s okay to be annoyed but it’s not okay to treat someone differently because you are annoyed and if you are not allowed to be annoyed you will not recognize and compensate for your human failing.

If I had to teach every health care professional one thing about harm to patients I would reiterate what I said about always finding something to admire about a patient.